MCAD Tech News #210

What's in a Name? Part 2

RP vs. RM: Do processes define production terms, and when does prototyping become production?

In last week's "What's in a Name?" I discussed the industry's dilemma regarding what to call rapid prototyping and manufacturing (RP&M). Can we find a simple term for this technology that we can universally agree on and understand?

In that article, I overlooked another term that we should include in the mix: SFF (solid freeform fabrication). A technique for manufacturing solid objects, SFF is sometimes used as an umbrella term to describe RP (rapid prototyping), RM (rapid manufacturing), layered manufacturing and additive fabrication. Note that in every case, rapid is a relative term, and depends on the machine type and model size.

This week I’ll pose another daunting question: What’s the difference between RP and RM? I’ll bet if you asked 100 people, you would get 100 different answers. This becomes an issue of prototyping vs. production, although several factors are involved in attempting to answer the question. Some RP&M machine manufacturers, observing the increasing adoption of RM, are attempting to expand from traditional RP to RM by developing machines with greater throughput, as well as new materials that have physical characteristics that more closely resemble those of traditional/conventional manufacturing processes. Read more>>

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